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A Bicentennial Moment
In conjunction with Mulberry’s Bicentennial Celebration, The Leonard Hill Cochran Historical Room presents a moment from Mulberry’s history.
Carolyn Kennedy Dominy, Church Historian
The following are excerpts from “Report of Building Committee To The Congregation of Mulberry Street Methodist Church” September 1967 regarding the rebuilding of the sanctuary after The Great Fire of April 1965:
“While informal reports to the congregation on the progress of re-building the sanctuary have been made by the Pastor and others from time to time, your Building Committee feels that it is now appropriate to make a more detailed report. While representatives of your Committee appeared before the congregation last January, it was thought that by now the sanctuary would have been completed. Circumstances over which there was no local control have caused delays. Example some electrical equipment promised in July has just been received. Since this had to do with the recessed ceiling fixtures, the lack of it impeded other works. Now that it has been received, the tempo of construction should increase. The millwork, which remains the main undelivered item, must be made just prior to installation and it is possible that it will not be ready as rapidly so it can been installed.
The following is a statement of the project as it now stands:
Plastering – all has been completed except for a rear wall in the sanctuary. This must be delayed until the antiphonal organ brackets have been installed and cannot be in place until the scaffolding is removed.
Organ – work began in the installation about 3 weeks ago. Completion will take from 2 to 3 months.
Millwork – the trim under the balcony has been completed. The work of encasing the metal portions of the structure and the decorative work in the ceiling has begun.
Painting – As soon as the millwork is completed in the ceiling areas, the painting of the ceiling and the staining of the wood will begin.
Stained Glass Windows – these have been ready for installation but could not be installed until the windows were freed from scaffolding and the woodwork above the windows completed. Having installed them prior to that would have subjected the windows to possible damage while the work was in progress.
Pews – the pews were ordered last February and could have been received before now in so far as the manufacturer was concerned but we could not be ready for them.
Altar – a beautiful altar was received sometime back and awaits installation.
Carpet – the carpet has been selected, and it is anticipated that it will be delivered when needed.
Exterior Work – the carport over the alley has been completed, the stonework has begun in the patio.
Completion Date – Your Committee wishes that it could be at the present time give a firm date on the completion. A conference was held with the architect and contractor to fix such a date but neither our architect nor our contractor deems it wise at the present time to fix a final completion date.
Your Committee could not end this report without a final statement. Comments by impartial observers who had dropped by the Church give us every reason to believe that you will have the most beautiful and serviceable sanctuary in the State of Georgia. Your Committee is entirely pleased with the quality of the work. The workmen we have had on the job are craftsmen who are building a Church, not simply plastering a wall or nailing boards. The necessity to build within the confines of the existing walls has in effect required that the Church be hand-crafted in its re-construction. This will add, of course, to its beauty when completed, but at the same time has contributed to the length of time involved."
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